5 Great Dog Movies for Kids

January 24, 20172 min read

DogTime.com posted a great article about some of the best canines from some great movies. Inspired, I put together a list of top five kid-friendly movies I couldn’t get enough of when I was younger that had some pretty awesome dogs in it.

Air Bud

Air Bud is about a basketball playing Golden Retriever named Buddy who teaches a little boy how to love again. Buddy starts out as a regular stray dog but turns out to have some pretty sick ball skills. If you love sports and dogs, it’s a great pick.

Annie

I may be biased as a theatre geek, but I love Annie. I think we all know the story of the adorable little orphan who just wants to find her parents. But one of the most important parts of Annie besides the other orphans, Miss Hannigan and Daddy Warbucks is Sandy. Sandy served as an inspiration for Annie to get out of the orphanage and made a pretty awesome best friend.

Cats & Dogs

It’s goofy, it’s ridiculous, it’s awesome. Cats & Dogs chronicles the infamous battle between cats and dogs. It pretty much is a movies from the dog lover’s viewpoint, as the dogs are the hero of the movie and the cats are the villains. An adorable beagle named Lou gets caught up in the battle and becomes the movie’s reigning hero.

Because of Winn Dixie

Have your kids read the book before the movie. It’s hard not to fall in love with the fictional Winn-Dixie, a goofy, endearing dog who just can’t stay out of trouble. The bond between him and ten-year-old Opal is heart-warming and there are a lot of great little life lessons packed into the book and the movie.

Homeward Bound

There was no movie I loved more as a kid than Homeward Bound. Even my sisters, with a large 11-year and 15-year age gap between us, would sit down and watch it with me. It’s a great “talking animals” movie where you just get inside their heads and hear their voices. No fancy animations needed! The bond between the pets and their owners just makes you want to cry. And if the very end doesn’t make you cry, you don’t have a heart!